The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-22
A Hindoo Woman's Fate.
From the London Queen.

The sequel to terrible story has reached
England during the past week. A Hindoo
woman, well educated, intelligent, refined
and with all the delicate feelings of lady
of intellectual power and literary enabling
her to publish a series of letters on the
wrongs of her sex in the Times of Ildid-
letters so trenchant that some of them have
been thought worthy of being repeated in
the Times of London-was, in accordance
with Hindoo usage, married when a child to
a youth older than herself. Arrived at
womanhood, her husband claimed her as his
wife, he being an illiterate, ignorant, uncul-
tivated man little better than a coolie or
day laborer, unable to earn more than Rs.
10 about $5 per month, and suffering
moreover, from consumption The
lady refused to join the husband to
whom, in accordance with Hindoo
custom, she had been married when a
child, without her consent being asked. The
husband thereupon brought an action in
the High Court at Bombay for the restitu-
ton, or rather the enforcement of conjugal
rights The case came before Mr. Justice
Pinkey who was SO struck with the injus-
tice of the claim that he dismissed the case
without calling ON the counsel who appeared
for Rukmibhai to reply, expressing his opin-
ion very strongly to the effect that it would
be most cruel and revolving action to COM
pei her to live with such a husband Unfor-
tunately for Rukmibhai, her husband was
not satisfied with the decision, and appealed
against it. The case was then argued be-
fore the Chief Justice and Mr.. Justice Bay
ley, who, while sympathizing most strongly
with the wife, felt that Mr.. Justice Pinkey's
decision was wrong in law, and sent back
the case to the lower court for trial on its
merits, as judged by the Hindoo laws.
In this case it has been
reheard before Mr. Justice Farren. Ruk-
mibhai's counsel pleaded eloquently in her
favor said that she had never consented, or
even been asked to consent to the marriage,
and consequently never regarded the man
as her husband; that he was poor ignorant
and unhealthy, and that so strong was her
repugnance to such union that ii the
court ordered her to consort with him she
would be compelled to disobey, under what
ever penalties might be inflicted on her.
These she was prepared to endure, but not
to live in union with man who was repug-
nant to her. The Judge, unhappily, had no
alternative; he was bound by his office and
his oath to administer the Hindoo laws, and
to pass an order that she should join
her husband within u month, failing
which she would be liable to six
months Imprisonment 1t might be
imagined that such case would command
the sympathy of all persons, of whatever
race or religion, but it is notorious that
among the Hindoos themselves no voice has
been raised in favor of this much-injured
woman. The Anglo Indians, however, felt
most strongly on the subject; numerous ar
ticles have been published in the English
newspapers printed in India, and it is pro-
posed to raise fund for the further defense
of Rulmibhai. Even those Hindoos who
callmost loudly for representative institu-
tions, and plead most earnestly for the insti
tution of natiya MAGISTRATES and iuSticeS
have no word to say in her defense nor any
thing to urge against the cruel law and Gus
tom which permits so great wrong.
1t may be asked what are the conditions
which render so great an outrage on human
liberty possible! The answer is not far to
seek. The Hindoo marriage law is based or
is presumed TO be based, upon their sacred
books, which have been received and acted
upon by many millions of people for thirty
centuries. The Hindoo religion inculcates
that every Hindoo girl must be married.
For father TO have an unmarried daugh-
ter in his house is not only to become an
outcast and to forfeit every social position,
but even worse; it Is regarded as n religious
crime, involving not merely degradation in
this world, but eternal punishment in
that to come Every Hindoo girl, there
fore, must be married. Her consent is never
asked. She is united when child to a fit
and proper person, should such a one be OBJ
tainable, but married she must be to some
one, and often, as is the case with Rukmlb-
hal. to a person whose consent is purchased
for q small sum. The life of such q wife
may be imagined it is frequently one OF ter
libie hardship, without even the consolation
of hope, for widowhood in India means loss
Of alf social position, deprivation OF civil
rights. and in two many cases the lowest
degradation that can bcfall woman.